For apparel stores, the fitting room is often where the decision to buy is made, and a cramped, badly lit or worn fitting room works against it. Fitting rooms are also some of the hardest-used fixtures in a store, with doors, hooks and mirrors handled hundreds of times a day. Here is what to plan when designing them.
The number of rooms depends on the store’s size, sales volume and the categories it sells; many retailers set their own ratio in their store standards. Place fitting rooms where shoppers can find them easily and staff can see the entrance, usually toward the back of the store so shoppers pass merchandise on the way. An attendant station or counter at the entrance helps with service and loss prevention, and a rack for returned items keeps the area tidy.
Doors give the most privacy and a more premium feel, but need durable hinges, privacy locks and protection where they are slammed or kicked. Curtains are cheaper and take less space, but need generous widths and good tracks to avoid gaps. Whichever is chosen, check sight lines from the corridor and the sales floor so there are no views into occupied rooms, including gaps at the edges and under doors.
Most stores put a mirror inside each room and a larger mirror, often a three-way mirror, outside, so shoppers step out and are seen by staff who can help. Use safety-backed mirrors, fixed securely into backing in the wall or partition, and protect the bottom edge from shoes and bags. See wall blocking for millwork.
Fitting room lighting should be flattering and show true colours. Light from the front and sides, around the mirror, flatters better than a single downlight overhead, which casts shadows on the face. Choose LEDs with good colour rendering and a colour temperature that matches the sales floor, so garments look the same in the room as on the rack. Lit millwork is electrical equipment, so agree early with the electrical consultant how it will be approved and connected.
Check with the architect what Ontario’s Building Code accessibility provisions require for fitting rooms in a given project. Providing at least one accessible fitting room is good practice and is often part of retailers’ own standards. That room needs turning space for a wheelchair, a door that does not swing into that space, a bench a person can transfer to, hooks and a shelf within reach from a seated position, and a mirror that works for both seated and standing users. It should be on an accessible route, not at the end of a narrow corridor.
Fitting room partitions may stop short of the ceiling or go full height. That choice affects sprinkler coverage, ventilation and privacy, so coordinate it with the fire protection and mechanical designers before the layout is fixed. The sprinkler standard sets clearances below sprinkler heads and has rules for wide overhead obstructions, and full-height rooms may need their own sprinkler heads, supply air and lighting.
For chains, fitting rooms are a good candidate for standard modules: a set of partition panels, doors, benches and mirrors that combine to suit each store’s footprint. Pre-finished modules shipped as labelled kits install quickly and keep the look consistent from store to store. See our guide to shipping fixtures for rollouts.
Our fitting room work includes stores for Mango and Uniqlo. We build fitting room partitions, doors, benches and mirror surrounds in our Vaughan plant, with integrated LED lighting in-house, and work with partners for glass and metal. Our drafting team issues shop drawings for review before production, and for multi-store programs we kit fitting rooms by store. Send us your store plans to start.
Where shoppers can find them easily and staff can see the entrance, usually toward the back of the store so shoppers pass merchandise on the way. An attendant station at the entrance helps with service and loss prevention.
Light from the front and sides around the mirror, rather than a single overhead downlight, using LEDs with good colour rendering and the same colour temperature as the sales floor so garments look the same in the room as on the rack.
Doors give more privacy and a premium feel but need durable hinges and locks. Curtains cost less and take less space but need generous widths to avoid gaps. Either way, check sight lines into occupied rooms.
The Building Code’s dressing room provisions centre on rooms with showers, so check with the architect what applies to a given project. Providing at least one accessible fitting room, with turning space, a transfer bench and hooks within seated reach, is good practice and often part of retailers’ own standards.
Either can work, but the choice affects sprinkler coverage, ventilation and privacy, so coordinate it with the fire protection and mechanical designers. Full-height rooms may need their own sprinkler heads, supply air and lighting.
